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EDMONTON — AAles Hemsky sees some light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel with Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi coming on board, but, from personal, hard-fought experience, there is no fast track to NHL stardom for most young players.

"(Sidney) Crosby and (Alex) Ovechkin are players who come around only every 10 years," said the Edmonton Oilers winger, who took baby steps when he started in the league at 19, getting 30 points in 59 games eight years ago, then only 34 in Year 2.

Hemsky, who turned 27 two weeks ago, is tickled that Oilers fans are all a twitter (that's gung-ho, not social media) to get a glimpse of the last three first-round picks in the 20-man lineup this season. But he cautioned against thinking any one of them is going to be the saviour for the team, which finished in last place in the overall standings in 2009-10.

If Hall, the first overall choice in the June 2010 NHL entry draft; Eberle, the Canadian Junior Hockey League player of the year, 22nd pick overall in 2008; or the Swede Paajarvi, who made the most recent world championship all-star team in Germany, 10th choice overall in 2009, get 45 to 50 points in their first NHL season, that will be an achievement.

Vincent Lecavalier, the first name out of the draft hat in 1998, struggled to get 28 points with the Tampa Bay Lightning in his first season. Jumbo Joe Thornton, chafing under coach Pat Burns' tough love and little ice-time, had seven points with the Boston Bruins in 1997.

The last two first overall NHL draft picks, Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) and John Tavares (New York Islanders), had 46 and 54 points respectively in their first seasons. There is a very steep learning curve with most young players these days.

"Everybody is expecting they (Hall and Co.) are going to light it up, but they don't have to be perfect. People expect 80 or 90 points, but it's not easy in this league," said Hemsky.

"People have to realize that. They will be good," said Hemsky. "Looking back, I don't think I was ready when I was 19 or 20, physically or mentally, but everybody is different."

"I think Paajarvi has the advantage because he has played against men in a league in Sweden ... he should be ready," said Hemsky. "I have a couple of friends who've played with him and they think he's really good.

"Taylor has showed at his level he's a very good player. Jordan will know what to expect from being at the camp last year. He's really a smart player. He knows where to go. He doesn't have to be the strongest. He's smart, so he can play with his hands."

Hall plays a kamikaze game, and he can expect several big jolts playing against much bigger NHL players than he faced in junior.

But that's fine with Hemsky, who also goes into traffic and pays the price.

"That's his style of hockey. You can't change that. A lot of the older guys can help him this year, along with Tom Renney and the coaching staff. What we have to realize with Taylor, though, is he's 18. He's not 20, or 22."

Hemsky, who has two years left on his contract before he's an unrestricted free agent, wants to be part of the rebuild.

"I think it's going to be fun for everybody. In this business, everybody wants you to make the playoffs, but I think they are going the right way -- building from scratch. If you go every year with the same players and they only bring somebody in through a trade, and you finish 10th, that doesn't make sense," said Hemsky.

"Everything bad is good for something, too. It's good for the future and the city. The team realized they had to change a lot of things and you see Chicago and Pittsburgh, how they were, and you have do it like they did. It's not just about finishing last for a couple of years and getting these good young players and automatically people think you are going for the Stanley Cup, though. You have to build around them, too. The team has to be solid."

"It's going to be fun to see the young guys and how excited they are on the ice and off the ice, though. I was nervous when I first came in, especially coming from Europe. Camp is really hard for young players, all the practices. It's different," he said.

Hemsky's surgically-repaired left shoulder seems fine, although he hasn't taken any physical pounding yet. He worked hard on his rehab and did practise with a club team in the Czech Republic for three weeks, however, before helping his team win the first week's (Montreal Canadiens assistant coach) Perry Pearn Cup in the summer three-on-three camp tournament for pros, held annually in Edmonton.

"I'm not even thinking about it now (shoulder)," said Hemsky, who played only 22 games last season. "It was really weak."

Not just on the ice, but it was also uncomfortable when Hemsky laid down.

"When you start feeling it then, and you can't sleep, that's bad. I was thinking, 'What is it?' You get an MRI, and you at least know what you have.

"I'm as excited as the young guys are to be playing. It's been a long time."

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